Skip to content
Navigating a New Political Landscape: View real-time updates about the impact of and Northeastern’s response to recent political changes.
Apply
Stories

Governors find their moment — and peril

People in this story

POLITICO, August 2020

It is sometimes called the best job in American politics. The nation’s governors have a degree of prestige, autonomy and agenda-setting power in their states that far surpasses anything enjoyed by the typical politician.

In almost every state, they also get to live in an elegant mansion as part of the bargain.

For at least the next year — on the front lines of the public health and economic wreckage caused by the coronavirus — anyone holding one of these supposed dream jobs is going to have some long nights that might more closely resemble nightmares.

The 50 governors now have a centrality in American life that exceeds anything seen in generations. Every path forward for the country, from opening schools to reviving the economy and some semblance of normal routines, travels through their offices. But with the pandemic now at the six-month mark — and its lasting consequences likely to be several times that length — this new influence comes freighted with paradox:


Continue reading at POLITICO.

More Stories

Pope Francis, the first Vatican leader from a Latin American country, died at age 88 Monday. Photo by Giuseppe Ciccia /Sipa via AP Images

What is the legacy of Pope Francis — and the future of the Catholic Church

04.21.2025
The relationships fans form with fictional characters can be powerful – and problematic -if taken to an extreme, Northeastern experts say. Photo by Liane Hentscher/HBO

Why are fans upset about ‘The Last of Us’ season two? Experts say it tests the limits of fandom and parasocial relationships

04.20.2025
A building displaying a mural of the Puerto Rican flag.

Puerto Rico’s housing crisis is no accident—it’s by design

04.21.25
All Stories